Monday, April 23, 2007

NEJM bans cardiologist for alleged embargo break

The New England Journal of Medicine has banned a prominent Columbia University cardiologist from its pages for five years for reportedly jumping the gun on the release of embargoed information to be published about a major heart study, the New York Times said in a story today.

Dr. Martin B. Leon is said to have commented on a study in the journal about how well coronary stents work compared with drugs in treating chest pain -- a study that he knew about because he had reviewed it for the journal. According to an account in www.theheart.org, the Times story says, Leon made the remarks at a conference of heart doctors on March 25, two days before the journal planned to disclose the information.

Though he didn't release the study's findings, Leon criticized the study's design.

The ban means he cannot review manuscripts by other researchers or have his own work appear in the journal, the story said.